Barbara Bush

Guide Note:Barbara Bush was the First Lady of the United States from 1989-1983, and the mother of President and former Texas governor George W. Bush, as well as former Florida governor Jeb Bush. She was raised in Rye, New York. Her father, Marvin Pierce, was the president of the McCall Corporation, which publishes Redbook and McCall's. The Pierce's were related to former president Franklin Pierce; Barbara's great-great grandfather, James, was his fourth cousin. While First Lady, Mrs. Bush worked with the White House Historical Association, raising $25 million for the White House Endowment Fund. She was also very active in literacy issues, and has since founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, to continue her work. Since leaving the White House, she has also engendered a fair share of controversy, by making comments that seemed frivolous about topics such as television news coverage of the Iraq War and the refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Its been reported that Ellen Burstyn will play her in the upcoming Oliver Stone movie Bush.

Fast Facts:

1. Full name: Barbara Pierce Bush
2. Resides: Houston, Texas and Kennebunkport, Maine
3. Born: June 8, 1925
4. Birthplace: Flushing, Queens, New York City
5. Parents: Pauline Robinson and Marvin Pierce
6. Attended: Smith College, but did not graduate
7. Married: George H. W. Bush, 1945
8. Children:
   1. George W. Bush, 1946
   2. Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush, 1949-1953
   3. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, 1953
   4. Neil Mallon Bush, 1955
   5. Marvin Pierce Bush, 1956
   6. Dorothy Bush Koch, 1959

Quotes:

1. 1984, regarding Geraldine Ferrarro: "I can't say it, but it rhymes with rich"
2. 2003, on Good Morning America, about television news: "I watch none. He [former President Bush] sits and listens and I read books, because I know perfectly well that, don't take offense, that 90 percent of what I hear on television is supposition, when we're talking about the news. And he's not, not as understanding of my pettiness about that. But why should we hear about body bags and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or that or what do you suppose? Or, I mean, it's not relevant. So, why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that, and watch him suffer."